MMA Promoter Slammed for Teen Bout

A DECISION to match a 16-year-old Coolum boy against a 26-year-old man in the teenager's debut cage fight has been condemned.

Australian MMA Association vice-president Mick Cutajar said yesterday that matching a teen with an adult should be illegal.

Commenting on the Fury Challenges event, the Wollongong-based MMA promoter said New South Wales authorities would "love to shut them down".

"They should be fighting in a cage with no head strikes at all," he said. "Everything to the body can still happen, but no head strikes until 18, and definitely not in that age bracket (16)."

However, the organisation that has sanctioned the Fury Challenges Series event at Maroochydore's Sands Tavern next weekend says a juvenile battling an adult in the highly brutal combat sport is within its rules.

The pitting of Coolum State High Year 12 student Ty Duncan against Brisbane's Dean Purdon came after the teen's trainer sent out feelers stating his charge would take on "any age, anyone who would take the fight".

Duncan's trainer, Joel Szepesvary, of Advance Martial Arts Coolum, said yesterday that the teen was a "phenomenal" talent and Purdon was the one who should be worried.

"I'd be concerned if I was fighting him (Duncan). He matches with grown men all day, every day (in training).

"He's never trained with kids. He's always trained with adults."

Duncan, who has shed 8kg to fight at 78kg for the contest, has been training in MMA since the age of 14 and is the current state under-16 Brazilian jiu jitsu champion.

Szepesvary said it was his preference that Duncan fight a fellow teenager, but after months of trying he could not find anyone.

The youngster's parents supported his bid to become a professional fighter, he said.

Duncan, who turns 17 in November, is "stoked" to be making his MMA debut and unconcerned by the 10-year age difference between him and Purdon.

"It doesn't matter how old you are. You still get hit the same amount," he said.

"I suppose one advantage is his experience over me, a lifetime of experience, but I've been in competitions before and won all my competitions."

Duncan's competition experience consists of two jiu jitsu events.

MMA Australasia has sanctioned the Fury Challenges Series. The organisation's vice-president, Peter Hickmott, said Duncan would have to compete in its B class given his age, but a minor could take on an adult.

Hickmott said no elbow strikes and rotational leg locks were allowed in that class, which is restricted to 16-year-olds and over.

Anyone aged under 18 must have parental or guardian consent in the form of a signed statutory declaration before entering the cage.

"So we try to cover the promoter as much as possible for any backlash that comes back at them," he said.

Essentially the kid is a state BJJ champion, will be competing under modified (B-class) rules and by all accounts (at least from people who actually know him and understand the sport) he is more than capable. And in lieu of being able to find any competition for him at his age, why not?

And yet there are comments like this, from the ironically named 'SomeOneSmarter':

Good way to promote the action, I suppose. I might see if there is any sly tickets cause I'd hate to have nothing to do on Saturday night. Also, this time of year fucks me up, always has, I think the two months starting with J mess with my mental calendar, I read it as last month. Don't ask me how.

Good way to promote the action, I suppose. I might see if there is any sly tickets cause I'd hate to have nothing to do on Saturday night. Also, this time of year fucks me up, always has, I think the two months starting with J mess with my mental calendar, I read it as last month. Don't ask me how.

If you can fight for your country with parental consent (at 17) you can fight under restricted MMA rules against adults. I would say the only restriction I'd like to see is ensuring that they only get green opponents (and not ringers) in their debut. If an adult wants to get used as a can, that's his business. Taking advantage of youthful enthusiasm like that would be dangerous and wrong IMO.

16 may be too young, but it depends. I have a kid that age with 8 years experience; longer than most adults competing have been aware of the sport.

Now darkness comes; you don't know if the whales are coming. - Royce Gracie

Quote me where I said "only", idiot. It's pretty clear by saying "this time of year" that I am referring to June and July. If your reactionary lizard brain wasn't the highest form of intelligence you possessed, you would have made that inference.